The Story of Edgar Sawtelle: A Novel

I am disappointed once again with a hyped-up book. I thought it would be a beautiful story about a mute boy and his beloved dogs, but it wasn't! The first part was all I'd hoped I'd be reading until the whole thing turned south. Instead of being a beautiful story, it rather quickly turned dark and ugly, and became a haunting tragedy. I don't like misery and disheartening sadness, and want to know ahead of time if that's what a book is. This one was represented to be something wonderful, and it was anything but that, apart from the wonderful way he gave the dogs personality. If he'd stayed with that, he would have written a spectacular novel. When people say they hated for it to end, what on earth were they enjoying? The author could have written such a marvelous story, as he started to in the beginning, but he certainly changed his mind about that. I cannot recommend this book unless you thoroughly enjoy tragedy.

What a disappointment! I'll admit I was sucked in by Stephen King's high recommendation for this book. If a renowned author, a true expert in the field, a master of the trade praises a book that highly, I tend to think he's probably a credible and worthy critic.

Yes, the writing was superb at times, but the plots never came together!!! 562 pages and I was left thinking, "What the----???" I was hoping to be rewarded with the long awaited answers to some or all of my questions that built up throughout the book--for instance, the PLOT. Maybe the author could have added another 500 or so pages to tie things together.

What's the old saying? "If you can't convince them, confuse them." The book would have been better served by cutting back on the tedium of dog training and focusing on the plot lines. In fact, had the plots come together in any way, shape or form I truly would have thought this book deserved its high praise.

Furthermore, for a book with such a heavy focus on dogs, I was horrified when Edgar gave his dog Tylenol when it injured its foot. How many real dogs will be harmed or killed by ingesting Tylenol because they read it in a book that focused so heavily on dog breeding, training and care? Yikes! Folks---if you don't already know, Tylenol is TOXIC to dogs!

I too was drawn in by the Oprah hype about this book. The way she gushed about it on her show, peaked my curiousity. While reading the review in the book by Steven King, I was even more intrigued. I eagerly dove into the book only to find myself putting it down for days at a time. This should have been my first clue. Although I agree that David Wroblewski is a talented writer, I am not so sure about his story or character development skills. I have never read a book that left me feeling so bewildered. The ending just SUCKED! Now that I am finished with it, I don't really know what to do with it. I certainly wouldn't recommend it to anyone I know and don't even think it's good enough to donate. Next time I'll use my library card instead of my VISA!!!

This is a good book to set your mind to thinking about inner meaning. There are many spots where you must make a conclusion on your own. About dogs? I love dogs and have trained a few. This part of the book was uncomfortable for me because I do a positive training; where the book used stronger techniques. Maybe good, I don't know. The intertwining of story parts was the best. I was pulled in to care about these people and their animals. In my mind that's icing on the cake. In the end I wish it could have been different.

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a rare and stunning rebuke to the ordinariness of many a lesser novel. Over nearly 600 pages, Wroblewski traces the slow arc of a boy and dog story, fairly reinventing the genre in the process. Countless passages ring with a heartbrearking purity and clarity, volleying powerfully long after the surprising conclusion. A book like Edgar Sawtelle does not invite us in so much as it lays down its own compelling world, line by line inside the mind. If more stories were told with as much brawny beauty and compelling insight, people would be storming the battlements for more books, more words, more of this transforming magic. Edgar Sawtelle is a redeeming work of serious love and art. Read it, and you will never forget it.